Newsom Is Murdering California’s Energy Industry

When I was growing up, many Americans viewed California as the sunny state with unlimited resources, an entrepreneurial spirit that inspired people across the country, and energy sources that the U.S. and the world desperately needed. Today’s California is the exact opposite of that, and it’s truly a shame.

Everyone can see that California Gov. Gavin Newsom is preparing a run for president in 2028. While he comes from the same far left, woke camp as former Vice President Kamala Harris, he also owns an energy policy record in California that all Americans should understand—and run away from.

California’s failures impact the energy security of our country, but it’s even more concerning to consider a future where Newsom takes his anti-fossil fuel policies to the national stage and drags the entire country into this costly abyss.

Newsom’s policies have resulted in an energy industry exodus that is truly historic and costly for California. Chevron, one of the most storied names in American energy, recently packed up its headquarters and headed to Houston, Texas. Oil refiner Phillips 66 announced it will shutter its Los Angeles-area refinery and stop all crude refining in California due to regulations. Valero is closing their Benicia refining facility.

One by one, Newsom’s policies have resulted in California’s energy jobs and major in-state production facilities leaving.

The impact? Fewer local jobs, higher energy prices, and more reliance on imported oil and gas from foreign nations.

The toll on everyday Californians I’ve talked to has been costly. Gas prices in California exceed the national average by nearly two dollars, and electricity rates are almost double those in states like Wyoming. Working-class families and small businesses are being squeezed by energy costs that barely register for the wealthy donors and coastal elites whose priorities seem to drive Newsom’s agenda. These are results that the rest of the country don’t want to see in our states.

And it’s only getting worse. Two refinery closures are about to nix 20% of the state’s refining capacity. This is occurring while California already imports over 60% of its crude oil from foreign countries instead of producing its own. They’ve even resorted to shipping in large quantities of gasoline from the Bahamas.

The Trump administration, trying to help, just directed offshore oil production that could provide real relief today and for years to come. Unsurprisingly, California’s politicians are fighting to prevent American oil from reaching their own constituents. Californians and other nearby states are stuck paying foreign prices at the pump because Newsom and his allies decided that far-left politics matters more than the people they represent.

As our country’s energy needs grow in the coming years, these very policies should concern Americans just now learning about Newsom.

Gavin Newsom and his party don’t understand the economy, don’t care about long-term American energy infrastructure, and don’t understand just how much reliable and affordable baseload energy will be needed in the years and decades to come.

Under Joe Biden, we saw a president who was focused on doing everything possible to raise costs for consumers, to destroy energy production across the country, to kill good paying energy jobs, to stop future projects, and above all else, use taxpayer dollars to prop up his cronies in green energy.

Newsom was Biden’s biggest cheerleader and defender. Even after the presidential debate where it became clear to the entire world that Joe Biden was not fit to serve, Newsom was still out there defending his agenda and pushing Americans to give him four more years in the White House. That tells you everything you need to know about Newsom’s judgment.

President Donald Trump and his administration came in and have worked overtime to correct Biden’s failed policies and to unleash America’s amazing energy opportunities for the long haul. We can’t go back to the failed, expensive, low-energy future that Newsom represents.

Congress and the American people need to make sure the California energy agenda doesn’t go national again. Our country has the energy resources, the experienced workers, and now the leadership in Washington to build a real American energy future.

When I hire people in my office, I look at their resume. Well I’ve looked at Governor Newsom’s, and it’s a clear cautionary story to all of the U.S. to avoid this candidate and his policies.

Sen. Cynthia Lummis represents Wyoming in the U.S. Senate and serves as chair of the Senate Western Caucus.

Reprinted with permission from The Daily Signal by Sen. Cynthia Lummis.

The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of AMAC or AMAC Action.